The 7th edition of the Screenwriters Association (SWA) Awards turned the spotlight on the writers behind some of the year’s most acclaimed stories. The ceremony celebrated excellence across feature films, web series, television and lyrics, recognizing creators who have shaped compelling narratives across platforms.One of the biggest talking points of the evening was the success of ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’. The series emerged as a major winner and helped Aryan Khan make a memorable debut as a writer.
Raj Shekhar highlights a historic milestone
During the event, lyricist and SWA General Secretary Raj Shekhar addressed the audience and reflected on the importance of writers in an evolving entertainment landscape. As quoted by Hindustan Times, speaking at the ceremony, he said, “In this era of AI, I am happy to see so many living, breathing, whole human beings.” He also spoke about a significant development concerning screenwriters’ rights in India and added, “I am also very happy to tell you that 2026 will be a historic year when Indian screenwriters will get their royalties for the first time. A 12-year-long battle has been fought and thanks to the Screenwriters Rights Association of India (SRAI), an amount is coming from two Latin American countries, Uruguay and Chile. But even with this small amount, a big path to the future opens up.”
‘The Ba***ds Of Bollywood’ registers double win
Aryan Khan’s series enjoyed a highly successful evening in the Web Comedy/Musical/Romance category. ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ secured the Best Screenplay award, which Aryan shared with Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan. Aryan also won the Best Dialogue award for the same project. The double victory underlined the strong reception received by the show’s writing team. Elsewhere in the category, Chirag Garg and Avinash Dwivedi won the Best Story award for Dupahiya. The results reflected the growing popularity of original storytelling in the streaming space.
‘Stolen’ and web dramas take center stage
The feature film category was dominated by ‘Stolen’. Writers Karan Tejpal, Gaurav Dhingra and Swapnil Salkar “Agadbumb” won both the Best Story and Best Screenplay awards for the thriller. Reshu Nath received the Best Dialogue award in the feature film segment for Haq. Aranya Sahay won the Best Debut award for Humans in the Loop. The Web Drama section also featured strong competition. Smita Singh won Best Story for Khauf. The writing team of Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee, Rahul Kanojia and Tamal Sen secured Best Screenplay for ‘Paatal Lok ‘ Season 2.‘Black Warrant’ added to its success story when Satyanshu Singh and Arkesh Ajay won the Best Dialogue award. Television writers also earned recognition for their work. Rajesh Joshi and Shabia Walia won Best Story for Pushpa Impossible. Harneet Singh received the Best Screenplay award for Itti Si Khushi. Sneha Desai and Tushar Ishwer were honored with the Best Dialogue award for Pushpa Impossible. In the lyrics categories, Anvita Dutt won TV/Web Best Lyrics for Naseeba from ‘Black Warrant’. According to Siddhant Makkar, Chairperson of the SWA Awards 2026, the jury reviewed nearly 700 songs, more than 80 television shows, close to 100 web series and over 130 feature films before selecting the winners.Meanwhile, Veteran lyricist Gulzar claimed the Feature Film Best Lyrics award for ‘Hum Fanaa’ from ‘Gustaakh Ishq’.
